Olympics

Saint-Étienne, France: Chaos and confusion reigned on Wednesday as Morocco beat Argentina 2-1 in their opening game of the men's Olympic football tournament, but only after a late equaliser for the South American side was disallowed and the final minutes were played out in an empty stadium following crowd trouble. Argentina thought they had escaped from the Group B match in Saint-Etienne with a 2-2 draw when Cristian Medina scored in the 16th minute of added time. But as their players celebrated, projectiles including bottles and plastic cups rained down from the stands and several spectators entered the pitch, with the referee promptly blowing the whistle. The teams left the playing area, but the referee had not blown for full-time and the outcome of the match was completely unclear until the sides finally reappeared two hours later to play out three more minutes in a stadium by now emptied of spectators. Medina's goal was eventually disallowed for offside following a VAR review, and Morocco held on for all three points. Argentina's German Schulz (top) reaches to catch the ball during the men's pool B rugby sevens match between Argentina and Samoa during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on July 24, 2024. (Photo by Carl De Souza / AFP) It was an undignified start to the sporting action at the Paris Games, and a bad day all round for Argentina, whose players were booed as they emerged onto the pitch and during the national anthem by the crowd, most of whom were supporting Morocco. That welcome came after Argentina players were filmed singing racist chants following their victory in the recent Copa America. "It is a circus," complained Argentina coach Javier Mascherano. "At no point did they tell us our goal was not valid... this would not even happen in a neighbourhood tournament. It's pathetic. Morocco's forward #09 Soufiane Rahimi (left) kneels as he celebrates after scoring his team's first goal, as his teammates touch their forehead to the ground in the men's group B football match between Argentina and Morocco during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne on July 24, 2024. (Photo by Arnaud Finistre / AFP) "Beyond the Olympic spirit, the organisation needs to be up to standard. At the moment it is not, unfortunately." Argentina are looking to win men's football gold for the third time after success in 2004 and 2008, but Mascherano's side trailed 2-0 following a brace by Soufiane Rahimi. Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain full-back, set up Rahimi for the opener in first-half stoppage time. The reigning African Under-23 champions doubled their lead six minutes into the second half from the penalty spot, Rahimi converting after Ilias Akhomach was brought down. Mascherano, who starred in the teams that won gold in Athens and Beijing, had at one point hoped to persuade Lionel Messi to feature among the three permitted overage players in his squad otherwise limited to those under 23. Messi turned him down, and the biggest names in their side here were Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez and captain Nicolas Otamendi, the Benfica defender. Giuliano Simeone, son of former Argentina star Diego, came off the bench to pull one back midway through the second half. Medina then thought he had saved a point in the 106th minute as he nodded in after Otamendi and Bruno Amione both hit the woodwork in a frantic few seconds of action, only for Argentina to be denied. Argentina's next game will be in Lyon on Saturday against Iraq, who came from behind to beat Ukraine 2-1 in their opener. Wins for France, Spain France have high hopes of winning gold on home soil despite coach Thierry Henry's unsuccessful attempts to recruit Kylian Mbappe into his squad. They beat the United States 3-0 before a large crowd in Marseille, with captain Alexandre Lacazette opening the scoring on 61 minutes via a fine strike from range. Lacazette then set up new Bayern Munich signing Michael Olise to curl in the second, and defender Loic Bade headed in a late third. In the same Group A, New Zealand defeated Guinea 2-1 with Plymouth Argyle's Ben Waine getting the winner. Silver medallists in Tokyo in 2021, Spain opened their bid for gold with a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan in Group C in Paris. Marc Pubill gave Spain the lead just before the half-hour mark but Uzbekistan equalised from the penalty spot in first-half added time, Eldor Shomurodov converting after a foul by Barcelona prodigy Pau Cubarsi. Sergio Gomez had a penalty saved early in the second half, but the former Manchester City player netted Spain's winner just after the hour mark. Group rivals Egypt and the Dominican Republic drew 0-0. Japan beat 10-man Paraguay 5-0 in Group D, while Israel and Mali drew 1-1 in a match which passed off without major incident despite initial security fears.

Olympics

PARIS: When Snoop Dogg agreed to become an Olympic torch bearer, the hip-hop star recalled an emotional, iconic moment watching Muhammad Ali light the cauldron at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Now, Snoop Dogg hopes to recreate some of that magic for a global audience watching the Paris Olympics. He'll be one of the final torch bearers of the Olympic flame ahead of the Games' opening ceremony on Friday. It's an opportunity he never imagined. Read Also Men's football kicks off sports programme at Paris Olympics Let the Games begin! Rugby, football kick off Paris 2024 "It was emotional for all of us to see the champ holding that torch and walking up there,” Snoop Dogg said on Wednesday of the late Ali, who surprised the crowd when he lit the cauldron because he had Parkinson's disease. Snoop Dogg will carry the torch in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis, according to the town's mayor, Mathieu Hanotin. "This is my own version of it," Snoop Dogg said. "I don’t want to get too emotional, but I know that this is special.” Snoop Dogg said he's thankful for being a representative from the U.S. and France's support in him taking part. He spoke during a call with sportscaster Mike Tirico and Molly Solomon, executive producer and president of NBC Olympics Production. "This says a lot about America as far as where we’re at in this world," he said. "At the same time, it says a lot about France as far as connecting the dots and allowing me to do this. I look at this as a prestigious honor and something I truly respect. I would have never dreamed of nothing like this. I’m going to be on my best behavior. I’m going to be on my best athleticism. I’ll be able to breathe slow to walk fast and hold the torch with a smile on my face, because I realize how prestigious this event is.” Along with his torch-bearing duties, Snoop Dogg will serve as a prime-time NBC correspondent during the Games. He'll be on the ground exploring the city’s landmarks and attending competitions and events. The ultra-smooth entertainer already has had casual on-video interviews with a few Olympians about their sports, including women’s basketball player A’ja Wilson, gymnast Sunisa Lee, skateboarder Jagger Eaton and beach volleyball players Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng. Last month, he met with track star Noah Lyles and participated in a 200-meter race - clocking in at 34.44 seconds - with NBC analyst Ato Boldon and former national champion Wallace Spearmon. Snoop Dogg arrived in Paris about 10 days before the opening ceremony, meeting with athletes and their family members along with learning their back stories. He has gone to the practice facilities to visit various teams such as judo, weightlifting, 3x3 basketball and fencing. "I’m going to show you why they made me the man to do it,” he said. "I’m going to put all of my resources and energy around it with peace, love and harmony. That’s what the Olympics is all about. I feel like that’s why they chose me. That’s what I represent.”

Olympics

Paris: Australian medallist Harry Garside said on Wednesday it would be "a crime" to drop boxing from the 2028 Olympics, calling it a poor man's sport that saves lives. Boxing has been part of every Games since 1920, but faces an uncertain long-term future after its place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics was put "on hold" by the International Olympic Committee. Garside, who won lightweight bronze in Tokyo and is bidding for gold in Paris, said it was more than a sport, with young people's dreams and aspirations at stake. "All of our dreams started somewhere, and whether you're a boxer, whether you're in other sports, we all love the Olympic movement. That's why we're here," he said. "To take that away from some young people around the world, it would be a crime, truly." The International Boxing Association was effectively expelled from the Olympic movement last year following a bitter dispute with its Russian president, Umar Kremlev. It followed concerns over the credibility of IBA-sanctioned tournaments as well as the boxing governing body's finances and governance. No other boxing governing body has been recognised by the IOC, which is organising the tournament in Paris but has said it will not be in a position to do so in Los Angeles. Garside, Australia's first boxing medallist in 33 years, said "politics is politics", but powerbrokers must think about the consequences. "To say it may not be in the Olympic Games is obviously terrifying because I think boxing is historically a poor man's sport," he said. "If you look around the world, it's the Third World countries that do the best. It's the countries that come from these really rough areas in the world. And they're the ones that come and win gold medals. "Boxing deserves to be in the Olympics," he added. "It has saved many people's lives, and I've seen it save many people's lives. So I hope it stays."